Measuring Recovery Time | Recovery, Warm-up, and Prehab | Forum

I've searched near and far for ways to determine my optimal recovery time. The answers are always somewhat vague, teetering between imprecise periods and "it depends." Now, it's clear to me that it does depend on the individual. But how can I measure this for different muscle groups in order to optimize my workouts? I don't want to rely on some general catch-all.

Thanks in advance. If any background would be helpful, just ask. The only additional information I can think of right now is that my goal is to maximize growth (at least for now).

Post edited 6:22 pm – January 12, 2010 by LST

Either kind of "measure" is fine. One idea I had was to measure (with an instrument) before the workout, right after it while pumped, and then periodically thereafter (every 12 hours). So far the data has been pretty predictable. However, what to look for to know to stop and when to stop elude me.

I am doing full-body workouts, but would be willing to split if my recovery time for different muscle groups were starkly different. On my "off" days I don't do much of anything right now. Soonish I will begin play sports throughout the week, so will have to make some sort of adjustment then. I would also like to start yoga again. I did it a bit this past summer when I couldn't lift (shoulder injury), and would like to work it in somewhere not too disruptive to my other goals.